You're Not the Only One
by WhiteLightning625
Summary: Brianne Lecktor is an American transfer student to Hogwarts. She's excited to meet the famous Harry Potter, and they become close. But there's much about her family she does not yet know, and it could put her and Harry in real danger.
1. A New Life

**You're Not the Only One**

Chapter 1: A New Life

Brianne Lecktor walked off the Hogwarts express, nervously looking around her. She stood alone in the crowd, her reddish brown hair pulled back in a loose bun, a few loose strands which framed her face. Brianne stuck her hands in the front pocket of her grey hoodie to keep her warm in the light sprinkle of rain that was falling from the sky. _All strangers_, she thought. She did not know one face in the crowd. How was she expected to make any friends here? She thought about her friends back in Connecticut and longed to be back home. Wizards in Britain just didn't seem the same as the ones in the States. It was supposed to be her 6th year in school, only a couple more years left of school, and she had to spend it away from her friends. She knew her aunt was just trying to get rid of her. Brianne was raised by her aunt, whom she never got along with. Her aunt was only 21 years old when she was to take care of Brianne, and therefore, she wasn't home a lot of the time. Most nights, Brianne would be home with the babysitter at night until the early hours of the morning, when she would come back stumbling, with a strong smell of vodka on her breath. She changed boyfriends every now and then. When Brianne turned 11 and discovered she was a wizard and was to live at the wizarding school every year, she was thrilled, and met her best friends at Connecticut's Blackcat Wizarding School. Finally when Brianne was 14, her aunt got engaged, and married by the time Brianne was 15. She never liked her new uncle though, and she tried to stay away from them as much as she could. Brianne liked being at school, but she still couldn't seem to get away from her aunt as much as she liked. The school demanded that all students were to visit home once a week, and it was maditory they all go home on school holidays. Much of the time she would try to stay with a friend, but somehow, she always found herself back home with her aunt. She missed her friends from Blackcat terribly, yet it was a good thing to be an ocean away from her aunt and creepy new uncle. Brianne got on the boats with the first years, as transfer students also had to be introduced to Hogwarts and sorted into their houses, and in the distance, she could see the lights coming from a beautiful castle.

Brianne was in awe as she stepped into the castle. She looked up and all around her admiring the beauty of the building. In Connecticut, their wizarding school looked more like a small college campus rather than a castle. There was nothing fancy about her old school at all. She couldn't wait to send an owl to her friends at home telling them all about Hogwarts. Professor McGonagall stood before the new students and greeted them. "Welcome to Hogwarts," she began. "I understand that some of you are first year students, and some of you are transfer students. We hope you enjoy your experience here at Hogwarts, the finest wizarding school in the world. Your headmaster, as most of you know, is Albus Dumbledore. When we enter the Great Hall, you will be sorted into one of four Houses: Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, and Gryffinfor. Follow me, everyone." Brianne and the rest of the new Hogwarts students followed Professor McGonagall into the Great Hall, where many students were already seated. She stood impatiently in the group of students as the Sorting Hat sang its song about the school and the about what each house stood for. From what Brianne gathered, it seemed Hufflepuff was about loyalty and kindness, Ravenclaw was for the brainiacs, as she refered to them back home, Gryffindor stood for bravery, and Slytherin was for the sly and cunning. Brianne stood there and thought about where she belonged as one by one, each student took a turn with the Sorting Hat. _I guess I'm kind of loyal,_ she thought. _But Hufflepuff seems to be the wimpy house, and I don't consider myself wimpy,_ she decided. Then she decided she wasn't really a bookworm, so Ravenclaw was out. The Slytherins seemed like jerks, as she could tell by the glares some of them were giving the Gryffindors during the sorting. As Brianne got lost in her thoughts, feeling very old among the 11 years olds that surrounded her, Professor McGonagall called out her name. "Brianne Lecktor," she said. She began to shake, nervous of where the hat would put her. This was going to decide who her friends were for the rest of her school life, and she didn't have much time left. She wanted it to be good. "Hmmm," pondered the Sorting Hat. "Very tough indeed. I see you have a lot of talent. Grades don't interest you very much, but it seems your experience as a child has given you the morals you have today. Not afraid to stand up for what is right, I can see that. GRYFFINDOR!" Brianne sighed heavily in relief. She was hoping that was where she would go. She couldn't see herself fitting in with the other Houses. Brianne got up from the stool and headed for the Gryffindor table, where her new House-mates were cheering for her. She took a seat at the middle of the long table. Her eyes wandered around the table, looking at who her new friends might be. Then she came across a boy around her age, with a pair of round glasses and a scar on his forehead. She knew exactly who it was. Brianne had learned about him at her school back home, about the boy who had defeated You Know Who. She never realized he was also a Gryffindor. She didn't even know that he went to Hogwarts! No doubt about it, she was very sure that sitting across from her, two seats down was Harry Potter!

She tried to gather her breath as best as she could. This was a celebrity! She didn't want to treat him that way though. This was a boy that would be a fellow student--more than that, a House-mate. Brianne wanted to befriend him rather than treat him like so many other wizards do. Looking over at him, Brianne realized there had to be more to him than a scar that was given to him by the darkest wizard known to be alive. _He looks so sad,_ Brianne thought. She sat there quietly, studying the students around her. "Hello!" said the red-haired wizard sitting across from her. "I'm Ron Weasley," he introduced, reaching his hand out to shake hands. The bushy-haired girl next to him also reached out her hand and introduced herself. "I'm Hermione Granger. Congratulations on getting into Gryffindor! And by the way, Ron and I are both prefects, so if you ever need to ask us anything, don't hesitate!"

"Thanks," Brianne responded. Then, the boy with the scar, hidden by black, messy hair reached out to shake hands with Brianne. "I'm Harry Potter," he said. "Brianne Lecktor," she said, placing her small hand into his. Her heart was beating out of her chest. She could feel her face turn red as she let go of Harry. "Good to meet you," she said. "All of you!"

"You look a bit old for a first year," Harry said.

"Well, I'm actually not a first year," Brianne corrected him. "I'm a 6th year. I came here from the States."

"That explains the accent!" Ron commented.

"If you noticed her accent, then why did both of you assume she was a first year?" Hermione asked, rolling her eyes at how oblivious her two best friends were. Brianne just laughed. "It's okay, you guys. I probably would have made the same mistake," she assured. She met some other Gryffindors during the rest of the sorting, including Ron's younger sister Ginny, Seamus Finnigan, Neville Longbottom, and Dean Thomas. When the Sorting Hat finished sorting the new students to their houses, a man with long silver hair, and a silvery beard stood up to speak. "I would like to welcome you all to Hogwarts, whether this may be your sixth or seventh year with us, or if this is your first year here. I would like to introduce to you, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Ridgemore. I would like to remind you all that the forest is out of bounds and forbidden to all students. No students are allowed out of their common rooms after 9pm, and don't forget, all the third years must hand in your permission slips to your House Heads in order to visit Hogsmeade on weekends. Also, another note, we will be having Quidditch try-outs next Friday. Now, without any further adeau, let's eat!" With the wave of his hands, food appeared on the tables in front of their eyes.

After dinner, Brianne and the rest of the Gryffindors followed Hermione and Ron up the stairs to the Gryffindor common room. They stood impatiently outside the fat lady painting and waiting for their prefects to give them the new password. "The password this year is _Crimson Pheonix_," Hermione said loudly. "Don't forget the password, and remember to be careful of the staircases, because they change every now and then." Ron then faced the painting and said _Crimson Pheonix_, and all of the Gryffindors walked through the painting. The fire was glowing at the hearth when Brianne entered. It felt warm and cozy in the common room. The first thing she wanted to do was curl up on one of the big red chairs that faced the fire. She headed over and sunk into the soft seat. She looked around, studying the students. Many students were talking about Quidditch try-outs and how excited they were for their first weekend at Hogsmeade. Brianne was so glad that her aunt signed the form for her. In the corner, Hermione and Ron were arguing with eachother, for no reason apparent to Brianne. Harry was standing near them, but seemed very irritated by their constant screaming at each other. He looked over at Brianne and walked over to her, letting Hermione and Ron fight on their own. "So, how do you like it here so far?" Harry asked Brianne.

"I like it so far. The castle is beautiful and this room is so nice. I think I'll get used to it. I just miss my friends from home."

"Must be kind of lonely being in a place where you don't know anyone."

"Yeah, that's for sure. It's nice to be away from my aunt though."

"You live with your aunt?" Harry asked, surprised. Brianne nodded. "I actually live with my aunt and uncle, too," said Harry. "They're dreadful!"

"Mine, too," Brianne responded quietly. Harry saw the awkward look on her face and decided to change the subject. "So, do you think you'll be trying out for Quidditch?"

"I don't know. Quidditch really isn't very popular where I come from, so I've never really played before."

"Oh, wow. You'd probably like it. Fun game, a little rough though."

"Well, back home we used to play this game called Beatball--its kind of like baseball on broomsticks."

"Really? How do you play?"

"Well, it's a lot like baseball--you have four posts: First, Second, Third and Home. There are players defending each post, plus a pitcher in the middle and two air-fielders, and a shortstop between the second and third post. I always played third post, but I was a lot better known for my hitting."

"Hitting?" he asked with a curious smile.

"Well, you go up in front of the post, where behind you a player is ready to catch the ball, and you have a beater bat to hit the beatball. It's a lot like a softball, but when you fly around posts, it chases you (if one of the players doesn't catch it first) and taps you on the shoulder if you're not safe at a post."

"Oh, I see. You'd probably be a good beater. We need some, actually, for our Quidditch team."

"Really? It sounds like I could do it. How do you play?"

"Well you have seven players. Three chasers, two beaters, a keeper and a seeker." Brianne looked at Harry, completely clueless to what he was saying. She had no idea what those positions meant. He saw the look on her face, smiled, and continued. "There are four balls that you use in play. The first important one to know is the quaffle, where is about the size of a soccer ball. That's used by the chasers to make scores in the three hoops that each keeper defends. A quaffle through the hoop is ten points each. There are two bludgers, which the beaters use small bats to aim at the other teams players. You don't want to get hit by one of those! I've been in the hospital wing a couple of times thanks to one of them bloody bludgers!" Brianne laughed as Harry continued. "And then the seeker, which I play, tries to catch the golden snitch. It's hard to see and moves very quickly. When the seeker gets the snitch, the team scores 150 points and they win the game."

"Oh, okay," Brianne said. "I guess I would be a good beater, since I can hit pretty well. I turn into a different person when I'm playing sports. If I get to aim that bludger at players, I could definitely have a lot of fun with that!" They both laughed at her statement. "Well, we better head off to bed. It's getting late. See you tomorrow at breakfast?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, definitely," she said. Harry began to walk towards the boys dormitory, when Brianne felt an impulse to call after him. "Oh, another thing," she said. He turned around and met her eyes. "I just wanted to say... thanks for making me feel at home here. I'm really glad to have met you and your friends." Harry smiled at her and said, "No problem. Glad I could help." He turned around and headed up the stairs to the boys dormitory. Brianne stretched her arms in the air, slid out of her comfy chair, and went up to the girls dormitory, where Hermione and Ginny were also heading. She stopped Hermione as they were going up the stairs to ask her where she would be staying. "Oh, you'll actually be in my room, along with Parvati and Lavendar. Ginny's right next door with some other fifth years," she said.

"Oh, okay, thanks," Brianne said. She followed Hermione to their room and saw her stuff was already there beside her bed. She changed quickly into her pajamas and crawled into her bed, drifting off into a deep sleep.


	2. In The Sunset

Chapter 2: In the Sunset

The next morning, Brianne woke up to a ray of sunshine that was beaming into the room from the window. She rubbed her eyes and stretched her arms and legs as she rolled out of bed. Hermione was already awake and dressed, putting on make-up in front of the mirror. Parvati and Lavander had already left for breakfast. "Morning," Hermione said to Brianne brightly. Groggily, Brianne mumbled "morning" back to her. She stood up and went over to her trunk to put on her school uniform and robes. When Brianne finished putting on her make-up, she and Hermione went next door to get Ginny, and the three of them headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

When they sat down at the Gryffindor table, Harry and Ron were already there, talking about Quidditch try-outs. Harry and Ron were both part of the team; Harry, of course, was the Seeker and Ron had just got the position of Keeper last year. They were discussing all of their open positions: they needed two beaters and two chasers. Katie Bell was now the new captain of the Quidditch team. Harry and Ron hoped so badly that she wouldn't be as tough as Oliver Wood or Angelina Johnson. Angelina, Alicia, Fred and George had finally graduated, so now the best members left were Harry and Katie. Though Ron still wasn't the greatest keeper, he had improved greatly over the summer holidays, and was determined to get better. As Brianne sat down at the table, Harry spoke up. "And here's our possible beater now!" Brianne blushed slightly as Ron responded. "This is the one, huh? Good hitter?" he asked her.

"Well, when I played Beatball back home, a lot of people thought I was good."

"Beatball?" Ron asked, confused.

"It's an American thing," Harry said. Hermione, getting slightly annoyed with all of the Quidditch talk, decided to change the subject. "So, what does everyone have for schedules today?" Ron pulled out his Monday schedule and frowned. "Potions first thing today! That's bloody rotten! Then after that we have Care of Magical Creatures, Divination (he and Harry groaned loudly), mid-day break, and then our last class today is Defense of the Dark Arts. I hope Ridgemore's better than that bloody Umbridge we had last year."

"You're telling me!" Harry said, as he looked down and rubbed the back of his hand. He so painfully remembered "writing lines" for Umbridge in many detentions. Brianne was confused as to what they were talking about, but she decided not to ask. She didn't want to come across as someone prying. Brianne sat quietly and ate a bagel as Hermione talked about how excited she was about going into the advanced Arithmancy classes. They finished eating quickly, and gathered their stuff to head to their first class of the day: Potions.

Professor Snape seemed to be in quite a foul mood that morning as Brianne, Hermione, Harry and Ron walked into the dungeon classroom. Brianne shared a table with Harry and in front of them, Hermione shared one with Ron. They guessed Snape's bad mood came from the fact that he did not get the Defense Against the Dark Arts position _again_ as he had so desired. Everyone knew that Snape, for the longest time, wanted to become the Dark Arts teacher, and every single year, without fail, he was rejected for the position. Harry had a feeling he would be getting more of a hard time than usual from him that day, considering him not being in the best of moods. Regardless of how angry Snape ever was, he never liked Harry, and made his life miserable while he was in his class. Snape knew Harry's father back when they were going to Hogwarts, and after a practical joke that had been played on him by none other than James Potter and his friends, Snape took his loathing for James out on his son, Harry. That day, they were learning how to make Snoozer potions, which was more simply called, a sleeping potion. Professor Snape wrote the ingredients and directions on the board and told the class to pair up in twos.

Hermione seemed to already have been giving Ron a lecture about how he needed to put the passion flower pieces into the culdron _before_ adding the peppermint leaves. Harry and Brianne began their potion together, each chopping up the passion flower petals, peppermint leaves, and valverian root. Harry continued to chop up the ingredients as Brianne heated up the vervain water. For once, when Snape walked by, he didn't make a snide remark. However, he growled at poor Neville Longbottom, who had accidently thrown in the valverian root before the peppermint leaves, and his potion glowed an reddish brown color, rather than the vibrant teal most everyone else's was making. Snape continued to observe the students, checking over each of their potions. "First day of class and I don't like him already!" Brianne whispered to Harry. "Doesn't take much, does it? I'm shocked he hasn't said anything to us yet," Harry responded quietly.

Snape seemed to have made his way back over where Harry and Brianne were working on their potion. He watched as they carefully added the valverian, the last ingredient, and the potion began to glow teal as they stirred it. Harry breathed a sigh of relief. Potions was always his worst class, and it didn't help when Snape found another excuse to mark his grades low or give out extra homework. Professor Snape gave Harry a look of daggers, and then peered over at Brianne. "Well, Mr. Potter, I suppose the only time you make your potion right is when you've got someone there to help you out. Granger must have given up on you, I imagine," Snape sneered. Harry's angry green eyes stared up at Professor Snape with a deep contempt. Draco Malfoy and his friends from the other side of the room snickered as Snape walked away from Harry and Brianne's table. Snape then continued. "By next Monday, I want 15 inches of parchment on valverian root and what potions they are used for. Please explain why they are known to aid in sleep and protection." The bell rang, and the students gathered their stuff quickly and left the classroom. They were relieved that it was finally over. Care of Magical Creatures was next, which Harry assured would be a lot more fun than what they just went through.

Brianne, Harry, Hermione and Ron headed down to Hagrid's hut for their class. Harry knew that Hagrid must have something fun planned for the first day. During Harry's third year, Hagrid taught about hippogriffs, a half horse, half eagle breed that seemed scary at first, but Harry ended up loving them after taking a flight on Buckbeak. Sometimes Hagrid had creatures that wern't always fun to deal with, such as blast-ended skrewts, but because Hagrid loved magical creatures so much, it was hard not to eventually come to appreciate them at the very least.

The four Gryffindors reached the outside of the hut where other students were waiting for class to start. All of them were talking about what Hagrid had in store for them. Draco Malfoy was off to the side with his friends, Crabbe and Goyle, making dreadful comments about Hagrid, as usual. Malfoy was laughing, saying that Hagrid was so thick, he'd bring in some illegal dragons for the class to play with. "I hope he does, because when the stupid thing burns my hand off, we can get rid of him for good! They'd probably sack Dumbledore as well!" Harry grinded his teeth, trying with all of his might not to lose his temper and go after him. Hermione touched Harry's arm lightly, and whispered to him, "Just ignore him. It'll be no good if you get yourself into trouble like you did last year. Provoking you is exactly what he wants!" Through clenched teeth, Harry responded, "I know, I know."

Hagrid then took a step out of his hut, with Dumbledore following behind with Fawkes on his right arm. Harry, Hermione, and Ron's eyes all twinkled, knowing exactly what they would be learning about today: Fawkes, a Pheonix that belonged to the Headmaster, Professor Dumbledore. Harry, Hermione and Ron knew all about Pheonixes, as they had met Fawkes on several occasions, however, it seemed clear that many students did not know what they were and were very confused as to why Dumbledore was with them in class. Hagrid got the students' attention and began his lesson. "Welcome back, class!" he said warmly. "Today, I am happy to say that we have two very special guests. They won't be staying long, so we'll make this quick and talk a little about Diricawls and maybe we'll even get to take a peek at one of them." Malfoy rolled his eyes and crossed his arms in front of his chest. It was clear he would be bored, since there wasn't much to harass Hagrid about that day. "This here is Fawkes, and he belongs to Professor Dumbledore, as you can see." Brianne stared curiously at Fawkes' long, crimson feathers, that shined with a golden mist. She had never seen a pheonix up close before. Only in photographs in textbooks had she ever seen what they looked like. They were always her favorite of the magical creatures. Brianne thought Fawkes was beautiful, and she wished someday to have a pet pheonix of her own. Hagrid talked about how the pheonix tears have healing powers, and the songs that escape from their beaks bring courage to those who need it most. Dumbledore added to Hagrid's lesson by mentioning that pheonixes burst into flame when they are ready to die, and are reborn from the ashes. Hermione, of course, decided to add that she had read in the textbook that pheonixes are most faithful to their owners. Most of the students looked at Fawkes in awe, however Malfoy and his friends looked bored and uninterested.

Divination didn't turn out to be as bad as Harry and Ron described to Brianne. She thought it would be as bad as Potions was, but she came to find that Professor Trelawney was harmless. Brianne actually found Trelawney quite entertaining, and snickered under her breath every time she made yet another death prediction for Harry. She leaned over to Harry and whispered, "Honestly Harry, you need to have more of a sense of humor with this woman. She's not _that_ bad."

"Yeah," Harry replied. "I don't think you'd be laughing if she made a bunch of death predictions about you!" Ron and Brianne looked at each other and smirked. Harry just rolled his eyes and brought his attention back to the class. Brianne shifted uncomfortably when Harry and Ron began to doze off.

Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Ridgemore was interesting to say the least. Harry, Ron and Hermione were glad to see that they wern't studying from textbooks anymore. Last year, Professor Umbridge refused to teach the children any kind of dark arts defense. Harry, Hermione, and Ron had to resort to teaching themselves and trying their best to hide it from Umbridge, as they would be expelled if they were caught. Professor Ridgemore seemed to know what he was doing for the most part. He told the class that he once used to be an Auror, but resigned after his wife was killed by a Death Eater. He seemed very intent on teaching the students that they could not trust anyone. "Look around you," he snarled. "The person sitting next to you just might be a follower of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!" The class nervously looked around at each other. Harry peered over at Malfoy, who shifted uncomfortably. Harry had very well known that Draco Malfoy's father was indeed a Death Eater, and at that very moment, he was serving a prison sentence in Azkaban. Ridgemore continued. "You see, you do not know whose parents might have been Death Eaters, and these parents could very well pass their values on to their children." He gave Draco Malfoy a stare of daggers. "Which is why you must be aware that you have to watch your back at _all times_! You do not know when one may betray you. That said, I shall teach you today about dueling, and the different jinxes, hexes and curses you can use. I understand that there is a dueling club here, and some of you have been taught the disarming jinx, but I can assure you, you will need to know much more than disarming. It is a very convenient jinx, oh yes, but will never know how to block these spells if all you know is one jinx. Open your books to page 41 and we will dscuss how to use some of these spells, and how to block them. After that, we will put you into pairs, and you can practice them." Brianne sat there, stunned by what she had just heard. No doubt, this professor was very bitter, and she knew it had everything to do with the death of his wife.

There was a couple of hours before the students had to be at dinner after their classes got out. Hermione and Ron were at a meeting with Dumbledore with the rest of the prefects. Harry supposed it had to do with the danger of Voldemort out there, and wanted the prefects to be alert of any suspicious activity on Hogwarts grounds. Brianne was about to sit down and begin her essay for Potions, but Harry walked over to her. "Um, Brianne, would you like to practice some Quidditch moves in the field?" he asked. "I thought you might like to practice a bit before try-outs next week." Brianne's face brightend, and her grey eyes twinkled. "Yeah," she responded. "I'd love to."

Outside, the sky was a deep blue, and the shining sun brought warmth to Harry and Brianne, who were in the Quidditch field hitting bludgers. Harry admired Brianne's agressive nature while she was on her broomstick. She had a look of determination in her eyes every time the bludger was near. They practiced for about an hour, losing track of time. Harry suggested they take a walk by the lake until dinner. He thought it would be a great way to unwind.

They walked along the water, and found a spot by a tree, whose leaves were turning red and orange. They sat down next to each other and watched the sun begin to go down. Harry turned to Brianne. "So, what brings you all the way here?" he asked.

"I've always wanted to see England. My aunt also kind of talked me into it. I guess she's sick of taking care of me. Not that she ever put much effort into taking care of me in the first place," she replied softly.

"Where's your parents?"

"They died when I was around three. They were killed by a drunk driver. I got dumped at my aunt's and she was only 21. She resented me and my parents for it."

"I'm sorry," he said, looking down to the ground. "I was raised by my aunt and uncle as well. They never cared much for me, either."

"I miss my friends back home, but it's nice to be this far away from my aunt. She just got married last year, and I hate the guy she married. I refuse to call him my uncle."

"I almost had a chance to live away from my aunt and uncle. My dad's best friend, my godfather, had offered to let me stay with him. He died a few months ago, though." Brianne's eyes widened and looked in Harry's green eyes sympathetically. "Sorry to hear that," she said, lost for words. "That's awful."

"He was the closest thing I had to a father," he said quietly. "Wow... I haven't really talked about any of this since it happened."

"We can change the subject if you want to," she offered.

"Yeah... Maybe it would be best if we did that," said Harry. Brianne nodded in response.

"Harry," said Brianne. "Anytime you need to talk, about anything at all, I'm always here to listen. And I would never tell a soul, either, just so you know."

"Thanks," replied Harry. "I really appreciate that. It's nice to be able to talk to someone who doesn't know much about me. Ron and Hermione are wonderful friends, but sometimes, they know me _too_ well."

"I know what you mean. Sometimes it was really hard to talk to Mel and Dana back home just because they were too involved with my life. Biased views don't help me solve my problems."

"Exactly." They fell silent, watching the waves of the lake as they glistened the reflection of the setting sun. "Nature's so beautiful, isn't it?" Brianne said. "I love sunsets."

"It's amazing what you miss when you don't sit down and look around for awhile."

"Yeah... we don't get nice sunsets like this in Connecticut. I mean, we don't get views like this. This place is amazing." Her heart started beating and her body began to shake a little. She was very nervous, and Harry appeared to be little nervous as well. He kept running his hand through his hair and fiddling with the brissles of his Firebolt. Brianne had this way of making him feel comfortable enough to say almost anything on his mind, yet still make his body physically nervous. Harry admired the way her reddish brown hair glistend in the setting sun. Brianne looked back at him, wondering why he was staring at her. Normally, Harry being extremely nervous around girls he was interested in, he would turn away and pretend he wasn't doing anything. But this time, he met his eyes with her's. He leaned over to Brianne, held her cheek with his right hand, and gently kissed her lips. Brianne felt as if the ground beneath her had vanished; as if she were flying. His lips felt so soft against her's. She had been kissed by guys before, but it never felt like that before. She reached out and touched Harry's left hand. When their lips parted, they smiled at each other, and then quickly turned their eyes to the ground. "Um... I guess... we should... er... head to dinner." Harry said in a nervous, awkward voice. Brianne smiled shyly and nodded. She had no idea how to react to what had just happened. All she knew was that before she went to bed that night, she would be sending an owl to her best friends.

Hermione and Ron noticed Harry and Brianne acting oddly during dinner. They were barely able to look each other in the eye for more than a second, and Harry kept changing the subject every time Hermione asked him what he was up to after they got out of class that day. Finally, Hermione got some kind of an idea about what was up when she noticed how Harry would stare at Brianne when she wasn't looking, and she would do the same when Harry wasn't looking. "Harry, what is wrong with you tonight? You've gone nutters!" Ron asked.

"Why would you think anything is wrong with me?" Harry asked quickly.

"You're all... jumpy."

"Ronald!" Hermione said. "Come with me!" Ron gave Hermione and curious look and walked with her. When they were out of earshot, Hermione spoke up. "Don't you see? Harry likes Brianne! And I think she likes him too."

"How do you know?"

"Because, they're avoiding each other, yet I still find them staring at each other when the other isn't looking."

"Honestly, I don't know how you girls pick up on this stuff!"

"And I don't know how you can be so oblivious as to not even see that Harry's acting nervous around Brianne!"

Later on, the common room was filled with students doing homework and goofing around. Hermione, Ron, Harry and Brianne all sat together at a table doing their work together, not talking very much. Hermione finished her work quickly, and Ron got sidetracked when he saw a few fourth year Gryffindors picking on the first years. As prefect, he told them to knock it off or he'd take away house points. Harry and Brianne were left at the table, quietly doing their work. Every once in awhile, Brianne would peer at Harry when she thought he wasn't looking, and Harry appeared to be doing the same. Somehow, they had to act as if nothing happened, but all it did was make things awkward. It began to get late, and everyone started to leave the common room, one by one. Harry and Brianne were the only two left out there. Both of them seemed to be very tired, and uninterested in doing homework, but Brianne didn't seem to want to leave Harry's side. Harry kept thinking to himself that he should just get up and go to bed, but something inside of him was stopping him. He could hear his godfather's voice in his head. _Go for it, Harry! You know you want to. No need to avoid a pretty girl, you know!_ Brianne finally couldn't take the silence anymore, and spoke up. "You know, Harry... I can't stop thinking about earlier," she said, beginning to turn pink.

"Neither can I," he replied.

"This all seems to be going kind of quick for me. I mean... I like you... I just... I don't want to screw things up between us."

"Oh," Harry said, staring at his Potions essay, in which he had only finished five inches of parchment so far. "Yeah, I understand."

"It's not that I didn't like it. I mean... it was kinda nice... _Really_ nice, actually. I just... I mean, I've only known you for a day. I think it would be best if we got to know each other as friends first."

"Sure, yeah... it would be better that way."

"I've rushed into relationships before, and I only ended up getting hurt. I don't want to get hurt anymore--"

"I would _never_ hurt you," Harry said quickly.

"How do you know that?"

"I... just... I just feel something when I'm with you. I don't know why. I can't remember the last time I felt this good. But you're right. I'm not exactly ready for any kind of relationship. I've got a lot on my plate right now."

"Harry... I want you to know, though, I don't want it to just stop at friends. I just want to slow down a bit... until then..." Brianne leaned over and gave Harry a quick, soft kiss on the lips, then gathered her stuff together. "Goodnight, Harry," she said, as she headed off to bed. Harry sat there, dumbfounded and speechless by what just happened. He smiled to himself, then went off to bed.

_Dear Mel and Dana,_

_First day at Hogwarts was actually pretty good! I made some amazing new friends--Hermione, Ron, and (you're never going to believe this)... Harry Potter! I've read about him in books before, but let me tell you--the books don't say a thing about who he is. And they really should... because he's probably the kindest person I've met here. He and his friends have been so good to me since I've got here, and they've all made me feel at home here. You have to see this place! It's beautiful here. The castle is just amazing, and I hope I can explore it a little more while I'm here._

_Anyway... that's not the best part about what's happened here so far. Guess what? ...Harry kissed me!! He kissed me while we were hanging out at the lake watching the sunset. It was so romantic! I promise though, I'm not going to make the same mistake with Harry as I did with Jake. I know better now..._

_But I have to admit... Harry is so cute!_

_In other news, I'm trying out for Quidditch! Harry said I would be a good Beater, because I had told him how I've played Beatball for such a long time. He thought I would be perfect for that position. I'm trying out next Friday, so wish me luck!_

_I'll let you know if anything else interesting happens. Write back and tell me how you're both doing and what's been going on lately. I miss you both very much, and I hope to see you soon._

_Take care,_

_Brianne_

Brianne folded the letter she wrote and hid it in a dresser drawer under some clothes. She gave herself a mental note to go to the owlery first thing in the morning and send it to her friends. Exausted, she changed into her pajamas and curled up in her bed, sleeping soundly through the night.


	3. Quidditch TryOuts

Chapter 3: Quidditch Try-Outs

The rest of the week went smoothly for the most part. The homework load wasn't too heavy as of yet, and Brianne was quickly getting to know Hermione, Ron, Harry, and even Ginny. She enjoyed spending time with her new friends, and she was even beginning to love England. She still hated Snape's class, but she found that if she avoided eye contact as much as possible, he didn't bother her too much. Draco teased Harry quite a bit during the week, saying, "Aww, look at this! Harry fancies American birds, now! What's wrong Potter, did your precious Cho dump you last year?" just before Potions class had started up on Wednesday. Harry gave him an annoyed look, and muttered, "Well, at least I don't fancy girls who have a pig's schnoz for a nose!" He was of course, referring to Pansy Parkinson, who was always flirting with Draco any chance she could get. Malfoy was furious, but before he could say anything back, Snape had begun the class. Brianne, Harry and Ron practiced for Quidditch try-outs every day. Brianne was a bit nervous about Friday--she really hoped to make it on the team. She longed to play sports again. She had to miss out on half of the Beatball season last year because she broke her arm during a game. Magic medicine in the States wasn't as advanced as Britain's was, so it took weeks for her broken arm to heal.

Try-out day finally came along, and a shaking Brianne was nervously stretching out her muscles before going out onto the field to try out for a Beater position. She went to the mirror with a brush and hairtie and pulled her hair up out of her face. Seamus Finnigan waved hello to Brianne as he left the locker room. That meant she was next. _Okay... I think I'm ready,_ she thought, taking a big sigh. Harry then came into the locker room and walked up to Brianne. "You're up," he said. "Ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

"Good luck--I know you'll do great."

"Thanks," Brianne said, facing the floor to grab her brand new Bluebottle (She saved up for it for ages). She walked up to the archway leading to the Quidditch field, mounted her broom and flew out before the House players: Harry, Ron, and Katie, the captain. Brianne flew in front of them and hovered in the air. Katie stood up and spoke. "Okay, Brianne Lecktor, correct?" Brianne nodded. "Okay, what we want you to do is hit ten bludgers through the three hoops across the field. As you know, normally bludgers are not meant to be aimed at the hoops, but we are judging on accuracy." Brianne nodded again. Katie counted to three and released the first bludger. Brianne glided through the air, hitting the bludgers with her beater and aiming them at the hoops. She did better than anyone else who tried out for the position, making 9 out of 10 hoops. Brianne flew back over to the Gryffindor team to hear what they had to say. As she was about to leave, Katie said to Brianne "Great job, and thank you for trying out. You will have notice on Monday on the results." Brianne thanked her and flew down to the ground, walking back through the arch to the locker room. Harry went back down to the locker room to inform the next person it was their turn. Before he did that, he walked to Brianne. "You did amazing."

"Thanks," Brianne said modestly.

"I just know you'll make the team. Katie was just out there saying you're the best we've seen since Fred and George were on the team."

"Well, I hope I make it. It'd be a lot of fun getting to hang out with you and Ron at practices and games. And the game just looks like so much fun! I can't wait to aim a bludger at one of them Slytherins!"

"You've only been here two weeks and you already hate the Slytherins? That was quick."

"Oh Malfoy and his gang has been giving me hell all week! I finally just had to cast a silencing charm on their mouths because I was pissed off enough--"

"Pissed? Since when did you drink?" Harry asked, looking kind of surprised. Brianne gave him a bewildered look. _Where did he get that from?_ she thought. She kept forgetting that Britain's slang was much different than in the States. "Pissed... meaning angry?" she said. Harry finally realized what she was talking about. _Damn American slang,_ he thought. "Oh, okay! I feel like a bloody idiot now. Pissed means 'drunk' here."

"I'll remember that for future reference," Brianne said laughing. "You better get out there. Katie will be furious!"

"Oh man! See you in a bit!" Harry said, running off to tell the next person to go out on the field to try out. Ginny Weasley was up next. Brianne gathered her bag filled with her old Beatball practice clothes and beater, wished Ginny good luck, and walked back to her dorm in Gryffindor tower. She met up with Hermione, who was working on her Arithmancy charts. Luckily, Brianne had finished her homework before going to Quidditch try-outs, so she decided it would be a good night to relax. "So how did the try-outs go?" Hermione asked.

"Pretty good! Harry told me I did well. Apparentely, Katie and Ron thought so too. Harry thinks I'll make the team!"

"That's great, Brianne!" Hermione said, with a beaming smile. Brianne thanked her bashfully. Hermione turned back to her homework, so a bored Brianne hung out with some of the boys she met during her first two weeks at Hogwarts. She was finally turning back into her spunky old self she always was at her old school. Her two best friends back home were both girls, but other than that, most of her closest friends were always boys, so she got along well with Seamus, Neville, and Dean (besides Harry and Ron, of course). She spent a lot of the night hanging out with her three newest guy friends before Harry and Ron made it back. She had a ball with them playing Exploding Snap and trying out some of Fred and George's prankster toys that some of them got over the summer in Hogsmeade village. After hearing some of the stories about these twins, she became very anxious to meet them. Ron had told her once that they had turned into quite the party animals after getting out of Hogwarts. They would work a 9-5 shift at the joke shop they owned, and then would spend the rest of the night with the guys at the Three Broomsticks for drinks. This would usually happen a couple times a week--normally on Friday and Saturday nights. Ron mentioned that one time they apparated home after drinking all night at the bar, and Mrs. Weasley was still up doing some knitting. She gave them such a scolding, but apparentely they didn't care, as they had burst out laughing when she was finished. Needless to say, Mrs. Weasley wasn't very happy about that.

Just as Harry, Ron and Katie were walking through the portrait into the common room, Brianne was wrestling Seamus Finnigan because he had given her an Every Flavor Bean flavored as a rotten egg and told her it was really lemon mirang. Dean and Neville told Harry and Ron this story as they walked in, and they doubled over laughing. They wern't sure what was more funny--Seamus' prank, or the fact he was getting his butt kicked by a girl---the _new_ girl, no less. Ron thought he would have a little fun playing Prefect with the two wrestling 6th years. "Hem hem," Ron cleared his throat, making his best impersonation of Professor Umbridge. "I'd hate to take away house points, you two." Ron tried his best to hold in his laughter. Brianne and Seamus' eyes shot up at Ron, remembering he had the power to get them in trouble, even if he _was_ their friend. "Ron, we wern't fighting, I swear!" Brianne pleaded.

"Oh I wasn't going to take away points for the fighting. I was going to take points from Seamus for getting his arse kicked by a girl half his size!"

"What? You don't think I could take him?" said Brianne, with a resentful tone.

"It's pretty clear you can. I just think it's bloody brilliant!"

"Oh piss off, Weasley!" said Seamus, struggling from Brianne's headlock. Brianne then turned him on his back and pinned his shoulders to the ground. Ron and Harry were now in hysterics, along with a few others that were in the common room. Brianne finally gave in and let him up. She walked over to Harry and Ron, who were still standing close by to the portrait. "You know I really wouldn't have taken points, right?"

"Of course I know that, silly!" Brianne said, giving him a playful punch. "So," she continued. "How did the rest of the try-outs go?"

"Not bad," Harry said. "We found a couple of pretty good chasers. You were one of the best beaters we had at the try-outs, although there were a couple others that wern't bad."

"Cool... I just may have a little bit of a chance, then!"

"Yep, just a _little_," Ron teased.

"So, you guys want to play some Exploding Snap, or would you rather go to bed a little early?" Brianne asked.

"Since we did we ever go to bed early? Let's play!" said Ron. They played quite a few rounds until very late. It was around midnight when they finally decided to turn in. She got back to her room to find an owl waiting to deliver her some mail. _It must be from Mel and Dana!_ she thought. She quickly retrieved the letter from the owl and sat down on her bed to read it.

_Dear Brianne,_

_You got kissed by THE Harry Potter??!! Oh my God, that is so awesome! He must be a hottie now that he's 16. You'll have to send me some pictures! So you're trying out for Quidditch, huh? Well, I wish you the best of luck. I know you'll do good though. You've always been a bit of a jock._

_Glad to hear you're making new friends and having a good time there. Just don't forget about us, because we still love you! All of the guys miss you here and they've been asking about you. They told us to tell you they said hi. Alright, Mel wants to say a few words. (she's been pestering me since I began the letter!)_

_Hey girl, Mel here! I thought I'd add to the letter, because what kind of letter would it be without me? Anyway--Harry Potter kissed you, huh? Lucky girl! Give me all the details! Is he a good kisser? Is he as gorgeous as he looks in the Daily Prophet? Did he slip in some tongue? Come on, girl, kiss and tell!!_

_Speaking of which, when are you guys gonna hook up anyway? How long is it going to take before you two become an item? I know you want to take it slow, but don't wait too long! There's plenty of girls that like him as well, so don't let him lose interest!_

_Anyway, good luck with Quidditch. I know you'll do fine. Let us know if you made the team! Glad to hear you're making new friends. You'll have to tell us all about them when you get back here for summer. They sound like fun---we'll have to pay a little visit there, sometime. If there's any cute, single boys, send 'em our way!_

_Okay, Dana here again. She's such a spaz as always. Just wanted to say that we hope you're doing well out there, and hope to hear from you soon._

_Love you lots!_

_Dana & Mel_

Brianne laughed reading the letter from her best friends. They were the same crazy girls they always were. She knew they would ask for details about that kiss. Not that she minded--she was used to it by now. Brianne loved her new friends at Hogwarts, but after reading that later, she felt a little aching in her heart for her friends. She missed Mel and Dana very much, and she wished the two of them could be going to Hogwarts with her. Brianne just knew they would have loved this place. Brianne placed the letter from her friends into the drawer on her nightstand, and crawled into her bed to go to sleep.


	4. Weasley's Wacky Wonders

Chapter 4: Weasley's Wacky Wonders

Brianne woke up fairly early that Saturday morning. Hermione was sitting at the desk, reading her Charms book for class. Everyone else seemed to have already been down to breakfast. She kept thinking back a couple of weeks ago when Harry kissed her. It was so hard for her to hold herself back, but she knew it would be a mistake if she rushed into anything. When she started dating Jake a couple of years ago, they also had rushed into their relationship. It lasted a good solid 5 months... until she found out he had been cheating on her. Because Brianne had fell so hard, so fast for him in the beginning, she was crushed when she found out, and she hadn't dated anyone since. She had to talk to someone... Normally, she would have talked to Mel and Dana, but it's really hard to talk about important stuff like that through owl post. Brianne needed a good girl-talk. If she even breathed a word of it to the guys, they'd probably give both her _and_ Harry hell for it. She needed someone understanding... Someone like Hermione. She crawled out from under the sheets of her bed. "Morning," Brianne said to Hermione, rubbing her eyes.

"Morning," she replied. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah... Hermione, are you doing homework on a Saturday morning?"

"Well, I like to get a good head start on things. So, what's getting you up this early?"

"Well... stuff, I guess..."

"Something you want to talk about?"

"Well... yeah... but you have to promise you won't tell _anyone_! I don't want the whole school knowing about this."

"Sure, I promise," said Hermione. She had a smirk planted on her face that showed she already had an idea of what Brianne would tell her. Hermione already guessed it two weeks before while they were at dinner. Brianne went ahead and spoke. "Well... you know Harry... and.. uh... well, um... Last week, Harry was helping me practice for Quidditch try-outs... and we uh... hung out for a bit..."

"And?" Hermione had quite a time trying to hold back her giggles.

"Well," Brianne breathed. "He um... kinda kissed me."

"I knew you liked him!" Hermione burst out. Brianne had a very confused look on her face. "You knew?" she asked. "How?"

"Well, I didn't know that you guys actually kissed, but I knew you and Harry liked each other. I've been noticing it since the first day of class!"

"You don't miss a thing, do you?" Hermione smiled and gave a small laugh.

"I already talked to Harry and told him I didn't want to jump into a relationship quickly. But it's just so hard for me to get my mind off of him. I'm still going to wait, but I just had to get this out of my system! It's been driving me nuts!"

"It's okay, I understand. I wonder if Harry has already talked to Ron about this."

"Oh geez... I can just hear _that_ coming. The teasing will never stop!"

"Ron would never do that to Harry _or_ you. Just relax." Brianne smiled reluctantly and nodded. "Well," Hermione continued. "I think we should go down for some breakfast."

"Agreed! My stomach's growling just thinking of it!" Brianne got dressed quickly, pulled her hair back and walked down with Hermione to the Great Hall.

Meanwhile, Harry was talking with his best friend, Ron about Brianne. He hadn't said anything to anyone about it and finally he had to see what he thought about it. "So, basically... you just kissed her? What made you do that?" Ron asked.

"Well... I don't know. I guess I just thought the moment was right. I wanted to. It wasn't like how Cho last year just went up to me under mistletoe... it was a lot nicer than that."

"So what happened after that?"

"Well... we talked about it. Said she liked the kiss but wanted to be friends. Told me she didn't want to get hurt."

"Ouch. Tough break, man."

"I don't even understand all of it. I really fancy her. It's so much nicer to hang out with a girl that doesn't cry all the time!"

"Cho was impossible to deal with! I don't know how you put up with her for so long."

"I don't even know! Brianne's so different. After everything happened last year, she made me feel happy again. I didn't think I'd _ever_ be happy again."

"She's definitely a ball-buster. I bet she could cheer any of us up."

"We even have a lot in common. Her parents died when she was only a baby as well. She grew up with people who never cared for her. She understands a lot of what _I_ went through growing up. I've never met anyone that I could connect to on that level."

"Are you serious? Her parents died too?" Harry nodded. "I couldn't believe it either," he said to Ron. "I just think that by what she said to me, something must have happened that made her scared to date another guy. She talked about not wanting to mess things up and such. Maybe she doesn't trust me."

"Maybe she doesn't trust herself."

"Shh! Here she comes!" Harry whispered as he saw Brianne and Hermione heading their way. "Morning boys!" Brianne said, grabbing a seat across from them.

"You mean _men_," Ron said, egging her on. He loved arguing with her. Unlike Hermione, Brianne always had a wise-ass comment to say back to him. Brianne rolled her eyes. "As I was saying _boys_, whatcha doing this weekend? Maybe we could toss the Quaffle around or something," suggested Brianne.

"Today's the first Hogsmeade weekend. Didn't you know about it?" Harry asked.

"Oh god, I completely forgot! I've been _dying_ to visit that new joke shop. Ron, I've heard enough about your brothers, and I've decided I have to meet the famous Fred and George Weasley!"

"Looks like my brothers are giving your 'famous' title a run for your money!" Ron said to Harry laughing.

"Good, they can _have_ it as far as I'm concerned!" said Harry.

"You're kidding me, I have to spend all day long in a joke shop with you three?" asked a frustrated Hermione.

"Don't worry Hermione, I also want to head to the bookstore to pick up a copy of _Hogwarts, A History_," Brianne said.

"That's one of my favorite books! I could have let you borrow mine, but I left it at home," said Hermione, excited someone else actually enjoyed reading besides her.

"Oh that's okay, I've been wanting a copy for myself since before I got here. I've been wanting to learn a little more about this place."

"Oh, it's facinating! You'll love it!"

"Uh oh, here it comes!" Ron groaned.

"Well it wouldn't hurt for _you_ to do a little reading, Ronald! That brain is beginning to get way too lazy!" scolded Hermione.

"Well, I'm not spending my entire Hogsmeade trip in a bleedin' bookstore!" Ron scowled.

"Will you two cut it out? You two sound like you're married!" teased Brianne. Harry laughed at her comment. _Couldn't have put it better myself!_ Harry thought to himself. Ron and Hermione both had sickened looks on their faces. "I could _never_ marry a twit like him!" Hermione hissed.

"Prat!" growled Ron.

"Scumbag!"

"Oh knock it off already!" said Harry. He didn't know how anyone could stand listening to those two bicker constantly. They all finished the last of their toast and juice and headed back to the common room to get ready to go to Hogsmeade village.

Brianne, Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked into Fred and George's brand new joke shop, _Weasley's Wacky Wonders_. Fred was at the counter cashing out customers and George was filling bins up with fake wands. Harry, Hermione and Ron waved at them once they caught their attention. Fred and George went over to greet them. "How's it been?" Fred asked.

"Must be boring now that we're not around to keep everyone on their toes!" George said.

"Oh trust me, Hogwarts isn't the same without your antics. We came to see the new place!" said Harry.

"It looks amazing in here!" Hermione said admiringly.

"Thanks," the twins responded.

"Would you like to try our new Toothy Tar-Tarts?" Fred asked.

"I think we'll pass on that..." Ron said wearily.

"So who's this cute bird you brought along with you?" asked George.

"Well, I do prefer the name Brianne..." she said from behind Harry. "I've heard so much about you two," she added.

"About our stunning good looks?" Fred teased, running a hand through his flaming red hair.

"Uhh... yeah... something like that," she replied with a smirk. "I hope we can all hang out some time. I've been in need of learning a few pranks from the masters!"

"Well, that's exactly what we're here for! Feel free to send an owl anytime you need some helpful hints," offered Fred.

"_Or a good snog,_" George whispered to Fred.

"In your dreams, Weasley!" Brianne said to George. She held up an Extendable Ear that she grabbed from the pile next to her a few moments before. "I like this one!" George said to Ron and Harry, bluntly pointing at Brianne. "So, Fred, George... where exactly are those Toothy Tar-Tarts? I think Seamus would be _thrilled_ to try a couple of those!" Harry, Hermione and Ron laughed, knowing Brianne was up to no good. She walked with George as he showed her where the Toothy Tar-Tarts were, as well as giving some of his own recommendations. Harry watched Brianne's spunky ponytail flow through the air as she threw her head back laughing at the Sneezy Sours and Snickering Sweets George was showing her. _Amazing... Voldemort's out there on the loose, and the only thing I can seem to concentrate on right now is Brianne's hair. Damn teenage hormones,"_ thought Harry. He turned back to his friends Hermione and Ron, only to find they were bickering again. "No way, Ron! You are not going to get that thing near me! Get away from me!" Ron was holding up to her what looked like an innocent stuffed animal. However, Hermione and Ron both new better than to think that _anything_ in that store was innocent. "Come on, 'Mione, isn't it cute?" Ron teased.

"Go away, Ron! And don't call me _'Mione_!" Harry shook his head in defeat, knowing that no matter what he said, he would never be able to get those two to shut their mouths. Harry decided to leave them alone and see what Brianne was up to. She was looking at a bin full of pens with disappearing ink when Harry snuck up on her. He came up from behind her and grabbed her sides, making her jump. "Don't even think about it!" squealed Brianne. No one was more ticklish than she was. Harry laughed. "So," Harry said. "What have you got in store for poor Seamus?"

"Oh, you'll see! Fred and George are my new heroes! We have to hang out with those two more often!"

"Oh they're a couple of interesting blokes, that's for sure!" said Harry. "They're good friends though."

"I can tell. They look goofy on the outside, but I think they both have good hearts." An uncomfortable silence set in between the two. Neither of them really knew what to say next. "You know, not too many girls out there would have this much fun in a joke shop. A lot of them would rather go somewhere for tea or something," said Harry, attempting to break the silence. And with that comment, he painfully remembered the horrible date he had with Cho Chang in a Hogsmeade coffee shop. "Well, most of my friends back home are boys, so I'm sure that explains it," said Brianne. Harry laughed, admiring Brianne's spunk and energy. Something about her made Harry feel like he was on a sugar high. Trying to avoid another pause, Harry said the first thing that came to his head. "It explains why you're so nice to be around." Brianne smiled, and looked down at the dusty floor, her cheeks turning pink. "Why is it you are so smooth with women?" she asked slyly. Harry laughed. "Yeah right!" he snorted. "In fact, no one is more clumsy around girls than me! My last girlfriend was _always_ crying about something. I'm still trying to figure out what I said to her that made her so upset!"

"It's funny she would feel the need to cry around you... I usually find myself smiling when I'm with you." Harry smiled, his face feeling hot. Brianne's stomach began to do laps around her throat. She realized that she was flirting with him... _unintentionally_! Why did he get her all giddy like that? She just couldn't figure it out. She had to change the subject, and fast. "I saw a new Bluebottle broom in the Quidditch catalogue yesterday!" Brianne said quickly. "I guess it's the hottest new series of brooms out there since the Nimbus line. The Firebolt is still the fastest, though."

"My Firebolt is one of my prized possessions. I watch it like a hawk when I don't have it locked up, thanks to Umbridge..." He gritted his teeth remembering how she "banned" him for life from Quidditch and took away his all-time favorite broomstick. Brianne's jaw dropped. She didn't know who Umbridge was, and frankly didn't care after she heard the magical _f-word_. "You have a _Firebolt_?! Oh my God, I'm jealous! Can I ride it sometime?" Harry laughed, and refrained the best he could from turning her comment into a perverted joke. That was Fred and George's job. "Of course you can," he said. "How come you didn't notice before when we were practicing Quidditch together?" he asked.

"Well, I never got a good look at it. I figured you had a nice broom, since it moved real fast. But you're serious though--I can try it out sometime?" she asked.

"Of course! It's no problem at all." As Brianne was about to thank Harry, she was interrupted by Hermione, who was storming towards the two of them, Ron closely behind her. "Harry, could we _please_ head over to the bookstore now? Ron is trying to get me to have one of those horrible Ton-Tongue Taffies!" Ron snickered behind her. "Well, I think I'm pretty much all set in here. Did you find everything you wanted, Brianne?" asked Harry.

"Yup, all set. Just let me pay for these and we can be on our way," said Brianne.

They walked down the street to new book shop that had been built in Hogsmeade, called "Landen's Wizard Books." Hermione had been excited about going there ever since she found out about its grand opening. It was rumoured to have more books than even Flourish and Blotts. There were only a few small groups of students in the place, but Harry noticed that there were quite a few Hogwarts teachers there. Hermione walked with Brianne to the history section and helped her look for "Hogwarts, A History." Ron and Harry sat down on a sofa and waited impatiently for the girls to return. They knew that they would be there awhile if Hermione started looking around.

At least half an hour passed, and Hermione was still shuffling through book sections, picking out something she found facinating. Ron slouched on the couch with boredom as he leafed through a comic book. Harry, also bored, flipped through a Quidditch book. After finding "Hogwarts, A History," Brianne went into the humor section and picked out a couple of books she found useful: "Practical Jokes for Witches and Wizards," and "Magical Pranks." Ron was on his third comic book when he finally got fed up waiting for Hermione to pick something out. He angrily marched up to her and she looked through a potions book. "Hermione, how long do we have to be in here? It's going to be time to go back to school by the time you're finished in here!" he complained.

"Oh fine, if you'll stop moaning about it. Let me just pay for these and we'll go somewhere else."

"_Finally_," said Ron. Brianne followed Hermione to the checkout line, while Ron and Harry put away the books they were looking at.

"So, where to next?" asked Brianne, as the four of the walked out of Landen's.

"How about the Three Broomsticks? I'd fancy a nice butterbeer right now," suggested Harry.

"You know, I was thinking the exact same thing," said Hermione.

"Three Broomsticks it is," said Ron.

When the four of them walked into the Three Broomsticks, it was packed with all sorts of students and teachers. Hermione walked up to the bar, followed by Ron, Harry, and Brianne, and ordered butterbeers for all of them. Madme Rosmerta handed them the butterbeers, and the four took a seat at a table. "This town is so cute," said Brianne. "I could really picture myself living here."

"Don't you miss being in the States at all?" asked Hermione.

"Well, I miss some of my friends, but I really love it here. I feel like it's a brand new start for me, you know? And besides, I love English accents!" Harry, Hermione, and Ron laughed at her comment. "Glad you like it here," said Ron.

"Well, you guys had a lot to do with that. You've been so good to me these past few weeks," Brianne said.

"I say we have a toast," said Hermione. "To Brianne's new life at Hogwarts!"

"Cheers," the four of them said together, clicking their butterbeer bottles at the center of the table.

Moments later, Harry spotted Draco Malfoy, with his Slytherin gang, Crabbe and Goyle, walking through the front door. Draco walked right up to their table, which Harry was dreading. "Well, if it isn't Weasle, Potty, and Mudblood," he sneered.

"Don't call her that!" scowled Ron.

"Oh, and what are you going to do about it, Weasle?" Ron rolled his eyes, wishing Malfoy would just leave them alone. "So, I see someone new has been hanging around you," Malfoy continued. "She a mudblood too?"

"First off Malfoy, don't talk about me as if I'm not sitting here in front of your face, and second, I honestly don't know if I'm what you call a 'mudblood.' But considering I _can_ do magic, and pretty damn well, if I do say so myself, I am a _witch_, and that's all there is to it," Brianne said angrily.

"Lecktor right?" asked Malfoy.

"What's it to you?" she hissed.

"Just wondering."

"Piss off, Malfoy,"

"Now, that's no way for a proper young lady to talk. And talk like that certainly won't win you a Quidditch match either!"

"You're going to get _crushed_ this year! And you better pray to Merlin that I'm not the new beater! You'll have a bludger on your ass faster than you can blink!" yelled Brianne.

"Well, I'm not afraid of Potty or Weasle, so I certainly wouldn't be afraid of some little American _girl_!"

"You better start, Malfoy, because I'm not your average chick!"

"Oh, I'm shaking! Come on guys, I can't stand to look at these scumbags another minute!" Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle walked off, and sat down at a table at the far end of the bar. "Malfoy's going to wish he watched his mouth after I'm through with him on the Quidditch field!" Brianne scowled.

"Well, if you get on the team, if you could hit a bludger in his direction while I'm getting the snitch, that would be very appreciated!" laughed Harry.

"I'll do my best!" said Brianne.

The four of them finished up their butterbeers, and left to spend the rest of their trip in Honeydukes. They each ended up buying two bags of candy each, plus split the cost for a huge box of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans for them to share. The place was almost as packed as the Three Broomsticks. Brianne thought the place was beautiful, in how the candy wrappers seemed to sparkle in the light. "This place is so awesome! They don't even have Chocolate Frogs back home!" Brianne shrieked. "They're not real frogs, are they?" she asked Harry nervously.

"Oh yeah," said Harry. "Be careful of those legs. They can get a little crunchy!" Brianne gave Harry a disgusted look, and was not sure as to what to say next. "Brianne, I'm _kidding_!"

"I knew that," Brianne lied. "Of course I knew that!"

"You did not!" joked Harry. "You should have seen the look on your face!"

"I was.... joking," Brianne said weakly. Harry laughed harder. "Joking my arse!" he said.

Meanwhile, Hermione and Ron looked at the assortment of Every Flavor Beans and scooped them into plastic bags. "What are you going to do with all of those Dungbombs you bought at Fred and George's store? I think that money could have been better spent," said Hermione.

"Oh trust me, they'll come in useful." Ron gave a mischevious grin.

"No pranks, Ron. You are a _prefect_."

"Prefects are allowed to have fun, aren't they?"

"Not the kind of fun you're thinking of. And I can't believe you tried to get a shot of firewhiskey at the bar today! What if Professor McGonnagall saw you?"

"Well it really doesn't matter now, does it? It's not like they actually served it to me. Only a place like the Hog's Head would probably serve me alcohol."

"And we're never going _there_ again. They don't even have clean glasses."

"You don't have to twist my arm. A shot of firewhiskey is not worth another night in that dirty pub."

"So Ron, what do you think of Harry and Brianne?" she asked curiously.

"Well, don't tell Harry I said anything, but he told me this morning that he really fancies her. He even _kissed_ her!"

"I know. Brianne told me this morning."

"Oh sure, go ahead and ruin my big news!"

"Well Ron, it's not my fault if I was already told!"

"Well, I'm guessing she gave you some reason as to why she doesn't want to date him."

"All she told me is that she's not ready for a relationship, but she can't stop thinking of him. She seems to be really scared of getting herself into a relationship."

"I don't get how you women think! If she likes him, then why won't she just date him? Harry is mental over her!"

"Cleary, she's been in a relationship before that really ruined her trust. You can't just push her. She needs to deal with her own issues before she dates anybody again."

"Harry's a good guy though. He wouldn't hurt her for anything."

"_We_ know that, but she doesn't know Harry the way we do. She's in a new country, in a new school, with new people. That kind of change for anyone can be really scary."

"I guess you're right," said Ron.

As Hermione and Ron went their seperate ways to go into their rooms, they heard a shout coming from Seamus. When they looked over, Brianne was in a fit of giggles. "She bloodywell turned my teeth black!" exclaimed Seamus.

"Told you I'd get you back!" said Brianne.

"Nice one, Brianne!" complimented Ron. Harry was standing at his side, laughing.

"Your brothers are pure geniouses," replied Brianne. "Those Toothy Tar-Tarts are awesome!"

"You can't just leave my teeth black!" Seamus shouted.

"Oh fine," sighed Brianne. She gave him a white colored candy that turned Seamus' teeth back to normal. "Who's up for Exploding Snap?" asked Brianne. Harry, Ron, Seamus, and Neville all agreed to a few rounds before going to bed.


End file.
